"Oh~ look at this, our popular Miss Snape has returned. She actually only stayed in Miss Malfoy's noble compartment for four hours and twenty-six minutes."
Harley had just found the compartment where Hermione and Cho were and opened the door to enter when she heard Hermione's sarcastic, sour tone.
Only Hermione and Cho were in the compartment; Cho's friends weren't with her, so Hermione had no reservations.
Sitting to the side with a faint, knowing smile, Cho said softly, "I specially prepared some delicious refreshments—but then again, considering you've just come from Miss Malfoy's, Harley, I imagine your stomach is already filled with the Malfoy Family's luxurious and exquisite pastries? My crude homemade snacks can't compare to the Malfoys' fine cakes, so I won't force you to try them."
Faced with this verbal onslaught from Hermione and Cho, Harley couldn't help but gulp secretly.
Hiss~
Even the usually gentle Cho had become sharp-tongued... No, she couldn't just sit there and take it; she had to quickly come up with a suitable excuse to coax her two best friends.
Harley's eyes darted around, and she said helplessly, "Oh, don't even mention it. I actually started heading this way ages ago, but I ran into the chosen one on the way—he lost his toad. The corridors were full of helpful students looking for it, so I got delayed for a bit."
As expected, Hermione was distracted by Harley and asked in confusion, "A toad? Why would the chosen one bring a toad?"
Cho explained to Hermione, "Toads, like cats, are traditional pets for Wizards. It's just that they haven't been popular for a long time. I didn't expect the chosen one to be such a traditionalist."
Seeing the atmosphere relax slightly, Harley quickly sat down opposite Hermione and Cho, picking up a pastry from the table and stuffing it into her mouth while saying:
"the chosen one's temper doesn't seem very good. He shouted quite angrily after the toad went missing. The Gryffindor students in the nearby carriages are all helping him look for it. I looked for a while too but didn't find it. I expect they'll reach the end of the train soon... Oh, this is actually red bean filling, it's great!"
Cho joined in the gossip, "I heard the Longbottom family all graduated from Gryffindor, so he'll probably be sorted into Gryffindor House. Have you two thought about which house you'll be sorted into?"
Harley shrugged and said, "My father was a Slytherin, and my mother was a Gryffindor—to be honest, I think any house is fine."
Hermione hesitated for two seconds before answering firmly, "I hope to go to Gryffindor."
Both Harley and Cho were startled. What was she talking about!
Cho advised, "Hermione, I think someone as fond of reading as you would be more suited to Ravenclaw—in the current Gryffindor, aside from this year's prefect Percy Weasley, I don't think you'll find many like-minded companions. But Ravenclaw has many students who value books as much as life itself."
Harley swallowed the pastry and added, "I also think you're better suited for Ravenclaw. Besides, you're not even interested in the chosen one, so don't bother squeezing into Gryffindor."
Hermione pursed her lips and didn't answer them, instead asking Harley back, "Harley, Aunt Lily graduated from Gryffindor. What do you think the probability is of you being sorted into Gryffindor?"
Harley blanked for a moment, then said uncertainly, "If we're going by bloodline, I suppose it's a fifty-fifty chance between Gryffindor and Slytherin... Honestly, I think I could be sorted into Ravenclaw too—but then again, my father also loved reading, and he was sorted into Slytherin."
Harley didn't dare tell Hermione and Cho directly that she didn't want to be in Gryffindor. Hogwarts was currently Dumbledore's domain, and the Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was also a Gryffindor. If they found out she was avoiding Gryffindor like the plague, she might have a hard time.
Hermione frowned. She had spent the holiday cramming knowledge about the wizarding world, including much about the Sorting.
Although none of the books revealed the specific method of Sorting at Hogwarts, they did mention some patterns.
For non-Muggle Wizards, the house they are sorted into is very likely the one their parents attended—though there are exceptions, like the House of Black being entirely Slytherin while Sirius Black was sorted into Gryffindor.
However, such cases were rare, and Hermione didn't want to gamble on it.
Hermione wanted to be in the same house as Harley. Considering Harley's parents were from Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively, Harley would likely end up in one of those two.
Looking at her grades, Ravenclaw might also suit Harley, but Hermione, who had spent her primary school years with her, knew her inside out—this girl was a genius-type top student who never touched a book in her free time and only crammed before exams. That didn't quite fit the studious nature of Ravenclaw House.
To be honest, Hermione was gambling now—gambling that Harley would be sorted into Gryffindor.
After all, Slytherin didn't accept Muggle-born students; even if Hermione showed ambition, she wouldn't be chosen.
Considering Harley usually acted like a lazy, unmotivated fish and didn't seem to fit Slytherin, plus the fact that her looks were almost a carbon copy of Aunt Lily, Hermione felt Harley would most likely be sorted into Gryffindor. As long as she insisted on the Gryffindor path during the Sorting test, there was a high chance she could continue attending classes with Harley for the next seven years.
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